Three Marietta police officers were placed on
paid administrative leave Wednesday after a drug arrest suspect died
while in police custody. The man's family claimed that officers fatally
beat their son. Officials at Kennestone Hospital declared 19-year-old
Black man, Paul Johnson dead Tuesday night after receiving him from
police custody. The incident began when officers confronted Johnson
and three other suspects who were allegedly dealing drugs in front of
the Glenbrooke Apartments. Johnson got into an altercation with two of
the officers, police said. One man arrested, Simon Riley said that
police officers continued to beat Johnson after he
was on the ground. One officer had Johnson in a choke hold after he was
in handcuffs. Witnesses said that someone took pictures during the
altercation, but that police destroyed the camera. Marietta police
officials denied those claims. Members of Paul Johnson's famly said
they want to know why he wasn't immediately hospitalized. Emergency
medical workers checked Johnson at the apartments and declared him to
be OK after his arrest, said Brian Marshall, a police spokesman. About
45 minutes later, paramedics were called to police headquarters after a
watch commander noticed that Johnson appeared to be ill while in a
holding cell, Marshall said. "The police put him into the cell and he collapsed. He
was complaining that something was hurting him. He complained to the
police that his throat was hurting him and he couldn't breathe," said
Dawn Jackson, Johnson's mother.[more ] and [more ]